Production of oil and gas is a trillion dollar industry. Producers continually seek ways to increase the speed and flexibility, and lower the cost of, production apparatus for onshore and offshore oil and gas production. Equipment downtime is costly, so efficient repair and replacement of equipment in the field is valuable.
Reciprocating pumps are used in the oil industry for many purposes. In one type of pump, a crankshaft turns inside a casing, and control rods couple to the crankshaft to drive one or more crossheads in a reciprocating motion to pump a fluid. In conventional pump designs, to remove any of the control rods and crossheads from the pump, the crankshaft must also be removed. This adds costly time to any repair or maintenance of the control rods and crossheads. There is a need for a pump design that enables fast access and servicing of pump components without removing the crankshaft.